VIENNA — The United Arab Emirates, a Western darling for security cooperation in the region, appears to have regularly used Aviacon Zitotrans, a sanctioned Russian airline linked to the Kremlin’s military and paramilitary operations, over the course of the past year, a Defense News investigation shows.
Analysis of thousands of flight records as well as gigabytes of leaked internal company…
Estonia blames Russia in arson attack on military robotics firm Milrem
September 30, 2026
GLASGOW, Scotland — Russian special services were behind the fire at a building used by an Estonian military robotics company last month, the government in Tallinn said on Tuesday.
The finding comes after a six-week investigation by the Estonian Internal Security Service.
US forces exiting Iraq after 2 decades, leaving opening for Iran
September 30, 2026
U.S. forces are set to depart from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a move celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies, who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war.
Iraqi security experts say the…
French artillery regiment reorganizes guns to survive drone threats
September 30, 2026
BESANÇON, France — The French Army’s 68th African Artillery Regiment is reorganizing its gun batteries into smaller units and creating a dedicated section to prepare firing positions and set up decoys, a move aimed at increasing survivability on a modern battlefield where drones and counter-battery fire pose a constant threat.
The 68e RAA is reshuffling its batteries of 155 mm Caesar…
EU nails down five defense priority areas to channel common spending
September 29, 2026
PARIS — European Union member states approved five projects for joint defense-industrial investment in priority areas including drones and counter-drone systems as well as air and missile defense, part of efforts to encourage more cooperation on defense spending and avoid…
UK’s Healey puts defense in focus for reindustrialization push
September 29, 2026
LIVERPOOL, England — British finance minister John Healey will put his support firmly behind firms investing in defense on Monday, part of what he will describe as a new industrialization drive to try to spur the nation’s anaemic economic growth.
In his first speech to…
British police on Sunday arrested five men near an air base used by U.S. forces on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offenses after a tip that three vans were heading to the military airfield, which has been used to strike Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the suspects had been looking to do “big damage” and had been under investigation by British and U.S. authorities.
British counter…
Trump administration obligates $307M for military aid to Ukraine
September 27, 2026
The Trump administration has made legally binding commitments to spend almost all of the $400 million Congress approved for military aid to Ukraine late last year, ensuring that the money will not expire on Sept. 30, according to three sources familiar with the plan.
As of…
Thales in ‘quite advanced’ talks with NATO countries on AI-powered command software
September 26, 2026
PARIS — French defense-technology firm Thales is “quite advanced” in discussions with a number of NATO countries about using its artificial intelligence-powered command-and-control system HexaForce, said the company’s vice president for multi-domain operations…
At a windswept gravel airstrip in eastern Greenland, a small Danish military detachment has quietly kept watch for decades.
Now, under a new U.S. defense agreement signed this week, the outpost at Mestersvig could soon become a key American military foothold in the Arctic.
Mestersvig sits 149 miles from the nearest settlement (population 330), at the edge of an uninhabited national park larger…
